Wayne Kramer was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He immigrated to the United States in 1986. His feature film breakthrough came in 2003, when he directed William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello in "The Cooler." Baldwin went on to receive a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination, while both Baldwin and Bello received Golden Globe nominations. "The Cooler" was selected for Competition in the 2003 Sundance Film Festival as well as several other prestigious festivals, including Toronto, Deauville, Karlovy Vary and Cognac Festival Du Film Policier, where the film won the Special Jury Prize. Kramer followed "The Cooler" with the propulsive action thriller, "Running Scared," a film that was all but ignored upon its release in 2006, but has fast become a cult favorite for genre fans. Kramer's most recent film, "Crossing Over" was released in 2009. A multi-character tapestry about immigration in Los Angeles, the film is said to be creatively disowned by Kramer due to tampering by Harvey Weinstein, which led to the removal of 25 minutes of plotline, including a Sean Penn framing device. Although Kramer has only directed three feature films thus far, he has earned a reputation for bringing strong performances to the screen and has collaborated with some of the finest talent working: Harrison Ford, William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn, Chazz Palminteri, Ray Liotta, Paul Walker, Cliff Curtis, Jim Sturgess, Paul Sorvino, Maria Bello, Vera Farmiga, Ashley Judd, Elizabeth Mitchell... Kramer got his break in the industry by selling his original screenplay "Mindhunters" to 20th Century Fox. The script was later heavily rewritten and directed by Renny Harlin for Dimension Films.
